On Wednesday, June 5, 450 students received their J.D. degrees at the 101st Brooklyn Law School Commencement Exercises, held at Avery Fisher Hall. Chief Judge Michael B. Mukasey of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York addressed the graduates and Dean Wexler presented Judge Mukasey with an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.

Judge Mukasey is one of the nation’s outstanding jurists. He has been on the federal bench for 14 years and Chief Judge of the Southern District since March, 2000. He has authored many important rulings, including opinions regarding discovery of computer files in criminal cases, defamation, and false advertising. He is most widely known for presiding over the trial of multiple defendants charged with conspiring to wage a campaign of urban terrorism, including the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. In its comments affirming the conviction of ten defendants, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit observed, “ The Honorable Michael B. Mukasey presided with extraordinary skill and patience, assuring fairness to the prosecution and to each defendant and helpfulness to the jury. His was an outstanding achievement in the face of challenges far beyond those normally endured by a trial judge.”

During his distinguished career, Judge Mukasey has held prominent positions in government, private practice, and teaching. In between his years of private practice with the law firm then known as Webster, Sheffield, Fleischmann, Hitchcock & Brookfield (from 1967 to 1972) and the firm of Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler (from 1976-1988), he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the Southern District of New York (from 1972 to1976), and served as chief of the office's Official Corruption Unit. Judge Mukasy is a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School. He received his B.A. from Columbia College and an LL.B from Yale Law School.

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Read this year's honors, prize and award recipients.